Orc
The green skinned orcs are one of the most prolific races of Azeroth. Born on the world of Draenor, the orcs were brought to Azeroth through the dimensional gateway known as the Dark Portal and waged war on the humans while under the influence of the Burning Legion. The orcs once cultivated a noble, shamanistic society on Draenor. Tragically, the proud orc clans were corrupted by the Burning Legion and used as pawns in the Legion's invasion of Azeroth. The orcs managed to rebel, however, and they were ultimately able to help turn the tide against their demon masters. Led by the young Warchief Thrall, the orcs have reclaimed their strength and honor. The orcs moved from the Eastern Kingdoms to Kalimdor, and founded the nation of Durotar. Now, the orcs stand ready to fight not for the sake of conquest, but for their very right of survival in their adopted world. Introduction To their enemies, they are brutal and fearsome opponents, without parallel in their ferocity and cunning. To their allies, they are noble and honorable, following the traditions of a rediscovered past. The orcs of Lordaeron are part of a race that has once again found its true spirit, shunning the cruel practices of arcane and demonic magic for the paths of wisdom and power. Some orcs still hang on to the arcane practices of the past, but their time is fading. Though brutal in combat, orcs fight with a feral grace and a brutal passion that equals the finest fencing of an elven noble. For an orc, skill in battle brings great honor. It is the concept of personal honor that pervades orcish society, a concept that has made the race more cohesive and more of a threat to their adversaries in the Alliance. The concept of honor pervades all echelons of orcish society. Even the naming of an orc is temporary until he has performed a rite of passage. Once an orc has brought honor to his name and the name of his clan, the elders give him a second name based upon his deed. For an orc, honor is as important as his clan, and most will die defending either clan or personal reputation. This is a new development for the orcs; before, when led by the forces tainted by the Burning Legion, the orcs were a bestial force barely controlled by demonic magic. While the orcs might seem quick to anger, they are tempered by the wisdom of their leaders and their shamans. There are few of the demon-worshipping clans now, for the Alliance or the Horde itself has hunted down most of the remnants of such clans. Now, most of the orcs have embraced a life led by wisdom, honor and the values embodied in the leadership of Thrall as taught by his mentor, Orgrim Doomhammer. The orcs are one of the most populous races on the world of Azeroth. While many of the Alliance races perceive them to be brutish and savage, the orcs have undeniably spawned a complex society that embraces many occupations and many different races. No doubt the leadership of Thrall and the support of the tauren and jungle troll elders has aided in this solidarity, but it is quite apparent that humanity has underestimated the ability of the orcs to unify and create their own distinct and powerful culture. Perhaps in time, the two factions might come to an understanding, but with the current division of Alliance and Horde, no one can say how that peace might come about or when. History Early history The orcs of Draenor had lived in a noble shamanistic society, roaming in tribes the grasslands of Nagrand on their dusty world of Draenor, for over 5,000 years. They lived in peace with the draenei and were at war with the ogres. Eventually, the presence of the draenei drew the Burning Legion to Draenor. After investigating of the world, the powerful demon lord Kil'jaeden tricked the respected shaman Ner'zhul in to striking a bargain with him. He convinced Ner'zhul that the draenei were conspiring against the orcs, and were planning on attacking. In exchange for their service to the Burning Legion, Ner'zhul and all of the orcs would receive the power necessary to conquer vast new lands, and Kil'jaeden would have an army able to crush the draenei. To obtain this power, the orcs would need to first drink from the blood of Mannoroth the Destructor, a mighty pit lord of the Burning Legion. Grom Hellscream was one of the first to drink, and easily convinced the other chieftains and their clans to follow suit. This put them under the Blood Curse. The rise of the Horde With mass murder of the draenei, the elements refused to aid the orcs in their war. Believing that the elements had turned on them the orcs turned to Ner'zhul. Gul'dan was then introduced as the new leader of the Horde. Slowly the entire race was corrupted into rampaging clans that would later be forged into the Horde. Over the next few decades the draenei and many other indigenous races of Draenor were almost utterly destroyed. Completely devoured by their demonic bloodlust and without new enemies to fight, many orc clans began fighting amongst themselves. Petty rivalries would balloon into full scale bloodbaths, and total chaos descended upon orcish society. The few remaining draenei took advantage of this and started a guerrilla campaign that continues to this day. During this time, Ner'zhul, no longer willing to watch his race destroy itself, betrayed Kil'jaeden and Gul'dan was put in his place as Spiritual Leader of the clans. Gul'dan cared little for the Horde and easily agreed to follow Kil'jaeden in exchange for even more power. Kil'jaeden taught Gul'dan how to project himself into the Twisting Nether and to commune with the dead. Gul'dan was changed by these encounters and realized how to attain even more power. Gul'dan also changed the way the orcs were ruled. He gave Blackhand the title of Warchief during the war. ]] Gul'dan gathered all warlocks who shared a desire for ultimate power and attempted to the share knowledge of communing with the dead. Those who failed did not survive. The few warlocks who survived formed the initial ranks of the Shadow Council. Through careful manipulation and intricate machinations, the Shadow Council became the real ruling body of the Horde, with the clan chiefs under their thumbs. The Shadow Council barely pacified the clans of the Horde with the promise of new lands to conquer on worlds other than Draenor. Gul'dan and his warlocks began probing the Twisting Nether, desperately searching for new worlds within easy reach for the Horde to conquer before the clans' bloodlust exploded beyond control. Gul'dan also founded the schools of Necromancy to expand the new demonic magics to even more orcs. Visions of Medivh One night, an extremely powerful entity touched the thoughts of many orc warlocks. Gul'dan sought the advice of Kil'jaeden as to what this new presence might be, but his summons went unanswered. If Gul'dan's own tutor Kil'jaeden feared this entity, then it could prove to be a powerful tool if Gul'dan could re-establish contact with it. Weeks later, Gul'dan was finally successful and opened up communication with Medivh, a sorcerer on some distant world. Gul'dan attempted to probe the designs of this Medivh, but Medivh's mind moved far too quickly for Gul'dan to discern much of any value. Conversely Gul'dan knew with near-certainty that Medivh was attempting the same, and did not want Medivh to gain an advantage, and so quickly broke contact. Weeks later, Medivh returned to the dreams of the warlocks on Draenor, and presented them with images of the land of Azeroth. The Shadow Council, despite the debate over Medivh's true intentions, decided to strike a bargain to do Medivh's bidding if he could furnish a way to bring the horde into Azeroth. Those warlocks who were not members of the Council, but had also partaken in the vision, were killed to allow the Horde to be properly prepared for a new invasion. Weeks passed with no further word from Medivh. Some members of the Council believed Medivh was playing tricks on them. But then, one day, the rift appeared. The invasion of Azeroth Over time and much effort the orcish warlocks were able to expand the rift enough to allow orcs to squeeze through. Though their first scouts were driven mad, either by the rift itself or by what they had seen, the council was able to confirm that on the other side of the rift was the world Medivh had shown them. A small contingent of orcs was sent through the stabilized rift, now known as the Dark Portal, to scout and construct a base of operations. The caution urged by the Shadow Council fell on deaf ears when the clan chieftains learned of how seemingly weak the native humans of the area were. Bloodlust soon overcame the Horde, and they launched a preemptive strike against the most powerful establishment of humans in the area, the Kingdom of Stormwind. Lead by Cho'gall of the Twilight's Hammer Clan and Killrogg Deadeye of the Bleeding Hollow Clan, this attack ended in a humiliating defeat for the Horde. Both chieftains blamed the debacle on the other, and the Horde polarized into two factions. The Shadow Council attempted to reunite the Horde, but could not act directly, and so they chose an avatar to act as their puppet ruler: Blackhand the Destroyer was named Warchief of all the Horde once again. War continues Under Blackhand's iron fist, order was restored. It was upon this event that Medivh once again made contact with Gul'dan. Medivh seemed even more powerful, but less sane. Medivh ordered Gul'dan to have the Horde destroy the Kingdom of Stormwind, and make Medivh the new ruler of the humans. Gul'dan initially refused to do Medivh's bidding; after all, the Horde had a new target - and Medivh's usefulness, in Gul'dan's eyes, had been spent. Desperate to see his plans succeed, Medivh tempted Gul'dan by promising to reveal the location of the Tomb of Sargeras, the lord of the Burning Legion and Kil'jaeden's master. And so the First War between the Horde and the humans of Azeroth occurred, ending with the destruction of the Kingdom of Stormwind. Near the beginning of that conflict the Frostwolf Clan, the only clan of orcs that rejected the demonic gifts of Kil'jaeden, was exiled to Azeroth and its leader Durotan was murdered by Gul'dan's forces as a warning. His infant son was left for dead and was taken in by a nobleman from Lordaeron escaping the carnage of Stormwind. The Frostwolves, leaderless, fled to the far northern mountains. Toward the end of the war, a surgical strike was launched by the humans to kill the treacherous Medivh. As Medivh was assaulted, Gul'dan felt the psychic trauma waves Medivh emanated, and realized his chance to obtain the power of Sargeras was about to slip out of his grasp. He entered Medivh's mind, and attempted to steal the location of the Tomb of Sargeras from Medivh in his weakened and distracted state. It was at this moment that Medivh died. Gul'dan, having been in his mind at the time of death, was thrown into a coma. When he awoke, Gul'dan learned of a major power shift within the horde. Blackhand the Destroyer had been overthrown by Orgrim Doomhammer after he had learned of Blackhand's role in Durotan's death. Doomhammer was not as gullible or easily swayed as Blackhand had been, and quickly discovered the Shadow Council's presence in orcish affairs. He completely eradicated the Council through accusations of treason. Gul'dan survived only by 'swearing' allegiance to Doomhammer, and by promising to provide a vast undead army for the Horde's use. He formed the Stormreaver Clan and began the process of re-animating the corpses of fallen knights with the spirits of the fallen members of the Shadow Council. These new Death Knights, along with other fel advances (such as the capture of the red dragon queen), gave the Horde enough strength to advance steadily north, despite facing the might of the unprecedented Alliance of all the human nations (Lordaeron, Stromgarde, Kul Tiras, Gilneas, Alterac and the magical forces of Dalaran). The elven nation of Quel'Thalas sent support to the Alliance, and after the taking of their beloved lands of Khaz Modan, the dwarves and gnomes threw themselves gladly into the ranks. The betrayal of Alterac to the Alliance seemed to be a deathblow - but before the orcs' victory was finalized, the Horde suffered a betrayal of its own. Gul'dan's folly Believing victory to be inevitable, Gul'dan convinced Cho'gall of the Twilight's Hammer clan that he knew the location of the Tomb of Sargeras. Together, along with the Stormreaver clan, they abandoned their posts and set out to claim the demonic power for their own. This loss of nearly a third of the Horde brought their campaign to a standstill at the doorstep of Lordaeron. Doomhammer, furious with the insubordination at such a critical time, pulled much of his Horde away to crush both the clans and their leaders. This allowed the Alliance forces to rally and crush the Horde. With the destruction of the Dark Portal the Second War ended. Although a number of powerful men in the kingdom of Lordaeron wanted the orcs rounded up and executed, King Terenas ignored them and had them placed in internment camps with hopes of the orcs one day losing their bloodlust and joining the Alliance. There, cut off from their demonic source and with no way to replenish their fel stamina, the orcs languished and eventually slipped into lethargy. Thrall's rise Several years after the Second War, the son of Durotan, named Thrall, escaped from his cruel human master Aedelas Blackmoore at the Durnholde internment camp and set out to find the rest of his people. In his travels he encountered Grom Hellscream, who along with his Warsong Clan had been hiding out in the wastelands of Azeroth hoping for another chance at conquest. Thrall became friends with Grom, and eventually met Orgrim Doomhammer, who had escaped from the humans' prison several years before. From Doomhammer he learned about his father and the Frostwolf clan, and the betrayal of his father by the Shadow Council. After learning this, Thrall made his way to the exiled Frostwolf clan stronghold, where he learned from their shaman about the orcs' noble heritage and how it had been corrupted by demons. Thrall swore to free his people from all the chains that bound them, and embarked upon the path of the shaman. Together with Grom and Doomhammer, Thrall successfully launched attack after attack against the internment camps to free the captive orcs. It was difficult to rouse the orcs from their lethargy, but Thrall was able to prove to them that their destiny was not yet at its end, and the clans rallied behind their new Warchief. Unfortunately and ironically, during the attack on Durnholde, the last internment camp, Doomhammer was struck down. In tribute to the fierce and proud orc, Thrall donned Doomhammer's black armor and the hammer which bore his name and led his people from their captivity. Thrall knew the human nations would not stand idly by and let the Horde regroup or settle down. Fortunately for Thrall, a prophet appeared in the form of a raven and advised him to leave Azeroth for the distant land of Kalimdor. Thrall, having no better alternatives, captured some human ships and set sail for the new land, taking all of his orcs out of Lordaeron. During the journey, the orcs helped a tribe of trolls escape from their sinking island. The Darkspear trolls were immensely grateful for Thrall's assistance and swore allegiance to the Horde. The foundation of Orgrimmar With the battle of Mount Hyjal over and the immediate threat to the world over, Thrall set out to found the new orcish homeland in Kalimdor. He named the new land Durotar in honor of his father and founded the city of Orgrimmar in honor of Orgrim Doomhammer. With his allies, the tauren and the support of the Lordaeron survivors under Jaina Proudmoore, he was able to build quickly. However, this was not to last. Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, Jaina's father, arrived in Kalimdor (having left before the war was over to look for any surviving forces) and launched an attack against the fledgling orc nation. During the initial assault, the Darkspear trolls lost their new home on the Echo Isles and so, with the help of the Mok'Nathal half-orc Rexxar, came to live with the orcs in Durotar. The witch doctor Vol'jin pledged the tribe's eternal allegiance to the Horde in return. Thrall, not knowing what humans had attacked him, initially suspected Jaina's forces, but their loyalty was proven when they helped the orcs destroy the invading forces of Admiral Proudmoore. Culture as part of their rebirth.]] Orcish society has always characterized by hardy and rugged living. As a result they are staunch pragmatists, and are never shy of killing when it will protect the future of the orc or his clan. All orcs regardless of sex or station are expected to pull their own weight, and weakness is considered a grave liability. The weakness of one contaminates the strength of all, and it is punishable by the greatest humiliation an orc can receive: exile. So it is more accurate to say that the orcs are utilitarian rather than noble, but different clans also have different personalities. Thrall and the Frostwolves have brought a notable influence of more compassion in the Horde, typically seen in Thrall's kinder treatment towards peons, who were viewed as a despicable sub-race. However there are clans such as the Warsong who still cling to the rigid, spartan beliefs valued in the Horde. But regardless of clan affiliation, orcs prize honor above all else - first honor to the self, and second honor to the clan. Hospitality is considered one of the greatest honor someone can bestow upon another person. It is for this reason that the orcs and tauren have become fast and unswerving allies, because the tauren race offered the orcs (who were total strangers) shelter and assistance in a strange new land, and asked for nothing in return. There is no discrimination between genders in orcish society. Women are able to pursue the same career choices as men, rise to positions of power and are even expected to answer to the call for battle just as men are. Strength (both physical and mental), courage, initiative and independence are prized traits in all orcs. Traditionally children are seen as children of the parents, but are raised as children of the clan. However, because of the newly unified Horde and the current diaspora of individual orc families creating homes and settling down in various areas around Durotar, the Barrens and beyond, this typical clan scheme has been changing, and life is beginning to become more centered around the nuclear family rather than the greater clan. Orcs revere the natural elements and Shamans are held in high regard. They generally have a close relationship with the nature elements and angering them is considered a grave offensehttp://www.goblinworkshop.com/quests/the-spirits-of-stonetalon.html. Wolves are a major symbol of the orcs, serving as guards, scouts, pets, partners and mounts. Many such wolves came from Draenor. Horde shamans can speak to them and summon spectral wolves and many serve a giant wolf spirit. http://thottbot.com/q10791 Faith Orcish religion takes the form of an animistic faith that draws strange parallels with the practices of the Kaldorei. The shamans of the orcs find their power in the spirits of nature, forming an intimate connection with the very world that surrounds them. This awareness has led to even more revelations of their race’s true nature, as the orcs realize that they live more in harmony with the world itself than many of the races of the Alliance who would claim otherwise. Languages Orcs know Orcish and Common. Orcs tend to only favor the languages of their allies, for example Goblin, Taur-ahe, Low Common. They have probably learned Zandali, Gutterspeak and Thalassian in recent times as well. Orcish names Orcish surnames are usually derived from great acts or merits a previous ancestor was lauded for, but some exceptional orcs earn their own surnames (Kilrogg Deadeye, Kargath Bladefist), and many prefer to use the names of their fathers (Thrall, Son of Durotan). Only the family leader can hold an eponymous title (For example, there can only be one Doomhammer or Deadeye at a time), and the rest of the clan identify themselves through their line of birth. Two types of orc names appear to have arisen: two syllables separated by an apostrophe and a simple name shortened from a longer one. The two-syllable ones- Gul'dan, Drak'Thul, Dal'Rend - appear to have initially been only used for spellcaster, but was later exported (Gar'Thok was a Grunt colonel). The second type was highly cultural; only those with powers over the warrior could use their full name, such as Shamans and chieftains, or the orc's personal religious leader. For example Brox's full name was Broxigar, a term which he allowed only Tyrande and Krasus to use. Grom Hellscream's full name was Grommash, which Mannoroth used to address him as demonstration that Hellscream was his. This is very inconsistent, however, most of the known orcish names (such as Durotan, Orgrim, Nazgrel, Kargath) are never documented being used in short forms. Appearance Orcs are on average, six and a half feet tall, and possess muscular builds. Orc hair colors are usually very dark, often black, though sometimes it can be brown or red and occasionally has tints of blue or violet, and it grays with sickness or age. Orc eye colors include blue, brown, hazel, amber, red and orcs who drank the blood of Mannoroth had eyes that glowed a bright, blood red. Pure blue eyes are quite rare in the orcish race, and are seen as a sign of great destiny . Thrall has blue eyes, and Garona in some depictions is shown with blue eyes, though this may be more a sign of her half-orc heritage and not her fate. Orc males sometimes choose to grow beards that are wild and untamed, while others prefer them to be braided and tasseled. These beards always hang from the chin, as orcs do not grow heavy facial hair above their upper-lip. Orcs are green-skinned, usually ranging from a light chartreuse yellow or olive to a dark forest or emerald green, and fel orcs often possess red skin. An orc's face would be described by some races of Azeroth as monstrous, their hideousness comparable to that of trolls. Orcs have large heavy jaws from which protrude sharp, tusk-like teeth, heavy brows, a broad and flat snout-like nose, and pointed ears. A fair amount of sexual dimorphism exists between the Orc sexes, with male Orcs possessing more extreme orcish physical characteristics, most noticeably broader shoulders and larger tusks. Male Orcs (as depicted in World of Warcraft) possess a slight slouch, while females stand entirely erect. Orcs, especially orc warriors, are fond of tattoos of orcish symbols that have abstract, yet personal meaning to the individual orc, such as a clan symbol or a battle standard. In orcish society, scars are a source of pride for an orc; the amount of scars an orc has received in battle marks his experience as a warrior. Their blood is black, as seen in the 'TutorialIn' Warcraft III cinematic, and as quoted from Daelin Proudmoore. Skin color The natural color of orcish skin is brown, from bark-like brown to reddish-brown. Their skin changes, however, in much the same manner as night elf eye color. With night elves, use of druidic magic turns their eyes a golden amber colour instead of silver.http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/508.xml Similarly, orcish skin gradually turns green when exposed to warlock magic. Unlike the night elf change, which is limited to practitioners, the nature of warlock magic means that the skin of all nearby orcs, including those who abhor warlock magic, turn green. This color change appears to be genetic, as Thrall, who had little direct exposure to warlock magic until recently, has had green skin from birth. All original orcs were brown skinned. With exposure to fel magic, an orc's skin turn's green and gains body mass. (Why the Mag'har are way bigger than orcs as a playable race is unknown). Once exposed to fel magic directly, such as, drinking Mannoroth's blood, an orc's skin will instantaniously turn green and his pupils will turn red. Flaming orbs of red are aquired through extreme cases of consumption of demon blood. If a green skinned orc drinks Mannoroth's blood again, his skin will turn red, and unless he or she already has flaming eyes, their eyes will turn green, full green with no pupils, this state is known as chaos state. Later, the legion improved this second corruption. Magtheridon's blood makes orcs an improved chaos orc known as a fel orc. Fel orcs have red skin but grow a few inches and are extremely mutated and keep their eye color. Currently, orcs have a wide variety of "natural" pigments, ranging between shades of light green, dark drab olive, brown to grayish brown . Playable Race Starting Attributes Classes * Warriors - Orcs are born warriors; as Eitrigg in Of Blood and Honor says, all orcs are warriors (this is hyperbole as peons are not warriors but commoners). Subgroups of orc warriors are grunts and raiders. Famous Orc warriors include Grom Hellscream, Durotan, and Orgrim Doomhammer. * Rogues - Orcish rogues are not as subtle as other rogues, but they can almost always assure a quick, hard blow which is very certain to kill the target, and they are the toughest, most hardhitting rogues. They are somewhat rare due to some orcs viewing their style of combat as dishonorable, but they do believe that it is an effective art. The most famous orc, and presumed to be a rogue is Garona (she's actually said to be a spymaster and assassin). Other orc rogues are Rokaro and Jediga. * Hunters - Orcs have a bond with animals, specifically wolves, and their original culture on Draenor included many hunting rituals. Most Frostwolves have wolf companions. * Shamans - After the orcs have freed themselves of demonic corruption they have returned to their original shamanistic roots. The shamanic path is not for everyone, and therefore all shamans are highly revered in the orcish society. Famous orc shamans include Thrall, Drek'Thar and Greatmother Geyah. * Warlocks - Though there was a time when they were common, orc warlocks are now rare. Most are enemies to the Horde like the Burning Blade. But a small number work for the Horde. They were illegal at one time in the Horde and are barely tolerated now. The few orc warlocks residing in the Cleft of Shadow are under the watchful eye of the Horde. The most famous warlock in the orcish history is Gul'dan, the founder of the Shadow Council. Racial Traits ; Blood Fury : Activate to increase attack power and spell damage/healing by an amount based on level/class for 15 seconds, and decreases healing done to the user by 50% for 25 seconds. The cooldown is 2 minutes. ; Hardiness : Increase resistance to stun effects by 25%. ; Command : Pet melee damage increased by 5%. ; Axe Specialization : Increase Axe skill by 5. Reasons for Racial Abilities Orcs have racial abilities due to a long history in a warrior society. They had been corrupted by the Blood of Mannoroth which Grom Hellscream eventually removed. The Blood of Mannoroth caused them to enter a form of demon fury which was the cause of their viciousness in the First War. Orcs can work themselves up into a natural berserker frenzy called "Blood Fury". Orcs are also notoriously tough - a young teenage orc will already dwarf a robust human adult, and their skeletal structure is far more suited for battle. This has lead to a "Hardiness" which makes them resilient to being knocked out. For reasons unknown, orcs also share a great natural affinity with animals. Many animal-orc friendships are made as soon as they look into one another's eyes and find the same primal soul within each other. Their close mental connection to these beasts has lead them to be able to "Command" beasts with ease. Their culture has long relied on the axe as the weapon of choice, from infantry to generals. This instrument of war is valued so highly that it is taught to all orcs, resulting in them being skilled in "Axe Specialization". Trivia * Warcraft is one of the very few fantasy franchises where orcs are put in a positive light. This is still after two games with the traditional bloodthirsty interpretation. In fact, reviewers often credit the humorous voices and comments of Horde units from Tides of Darkness (making the "bad guys" more fun to play) as the direct influence on the choice to portray their redemption. * Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was originally supposed to be a Warhammer game. For one reason or another, the deal was broken off with the Games Workshop and the game was given a new storyline and a new universe. The orcs in Warcraft were originally modeled after the Orcs of Warhammer, and it is because of this reason they share a striking similarity. Category:Lore Category:Creatures Category:Humanoids Category:Orcs Category:Horde races Category:World:Outland